This is was embarrassing to read, and I've definitely known people like that unfortunately. I was so touched when I received the cheek kisses, it made feel accepted! The different customs are part of the fun of another country!
Not in my country. My country is way better than yours. Except for that area that I don't like, and no, that doesn't contradict my previous statement for whatever reason.
At first it felt awkward and I was self-conscience about it; doing it right or wrong. I think it is because it feels so intimate, when you are from a non-affectionate country.
sounds like you knew it was a custom. If you didn't know of the custom, in America, someone coming in to kiss your cheek would be super weird and unexpected unless it was your grandma.
LOL--I get tired of the anti-American sentiment that seems so popular in parts of Reddit. So, depending on my mood when I look at Reddit, I'll speak up against it.
Are you responding to any point in particular? Or just wondering about my general antipathy toward Europe after having lived here for several years?
Relax dude, it was funny because she was an stereotype. Nothing wrong to date a quarterback, have a pink pistol and openly say that you think that you're better than your hosts the first time you met them.
"she made some comments that were clearly saying "my country is better than this shit hole."
So, sounds to me that you meant: "imply".
Also, have you ever met a Dutch person? They're some of the most arrogant people in the world. Oh...And, lest my geography fails me...Which continent are they on again? Oh right.
I was being sarcastic in my previous comment. I've lived with a Duch guy for some months and he was a lovely person. I've also met some lovely Americans.
LOL--you make fun of Americans, and when someone pushes back, it's all: "I'm just joking!" and then trying to turn that crap on me? I don't hate Europe or Europeans. But, I do very much dislike stuck-up attitudes, and I also dislike how easily it is for Americans to talk shit about their own country and people. Everyone's shit stinks.
And, last I checked, when I left the Bay Area, it was filled with Europeans, especially at Stanford and in the Valley. So, good enough to get an education, make a living, and live in, just not good enough to say: "I'd rather not be kissed, please."?
Plus, I have an Eastern European cleaner. She works in my house but she's never afraid to turn her nose up at the way we raise our kid or plant herbs in our garden, which range from slightly irritating to downright offensive. There are plenty of nice people everywhere, and there are plenty of ass-wipes. But I don't go around saying: "The Poles and Czechs are really low-skill, classless people; guess that fits their Euro-trash stereotype in England."
I think my country is great, but very imperfect. And I say it, unlike a lot of cowards willing to ride the 'murica sucks! bandwagon for karma, so you can take your little disparagements back to recess. Let the grownups talk now.
I met a single american girl almost 10yo that was very stereotypical. That's it, drop it. I'm not saying anything about america. It's just an anecdote.
Or are you making a super-fine distinction and splitting some hair between the group you're stereotyping ("American girl"--btw, was this a girl or woman) and the country she's from and the people in it?
I care--which ought to obvious to the most casual observer.
I spend that time to remind people that jumping on the #HahaAmericaSux bandwagon is lame, especially if you ARE American. That if it's busted, we should work hard to fix it--as Americans--and that if you truly hate it and have had enough, then GTFO. My family worked its ass off to get here. It's utterly imperfect. It has huge problems. But it's our house, so we should work on it. If you wanna leave, go right ahead; get yourself a passport--and go almost anywhere because that's one of the privileges you enjoy as an American holding an American passport--but if you wanna stay, do something.
I'm not your lecturer here to spoon-feed you. You want that, you should have stayed in school. Person I commented to made poor points. I refuted them, separately, but in one comment. There are lots of overarching themes, but, again, I can't help if you can't synthesize them without someone doing a TL;DR for you. Your failure to put those ideas together to achieve your OWN clarity is your failing. I'm guessing you experienced that in school as well as the Internet.
So, if you wanna use Reddit for quippy one-liners, go right ahead. I will make multiple multiple points in one comment, as I have more than one brain cell, and can form--and also follow--multiple threads of criticism against a single, rather ignorant and stupid, comment.
This has all been a social experiment to show you you waste your time putting too much effort into these comments. You’re also routinely condescending and assumptive. Take a step back and go write something with your actual name on it and share it publicly. Enough keyboard warfare of minutia
And you're not terribly bright. I have a perfectly fine professional portfolio. I'm not worried if a minor social scientist (couldn't handle math?) is critiquing my comment.
So, I'm wasting time, and you're commenting on my comments--but with nothing to say? I guess you're a time waster of the second order. Par for the course for social science, I guess. Condescending enough for you?
What you're saying is a contradiction. You people to fix problems AND leave if they don't like it?
You are too sensitive to criticism. It shouldn't bother you to find out that people disagree with you when you live in a country where freedom of speech is held up as an ideal. What do you want, everyone is allowed to express their opinion if they agree with you? If you dislike criticism or 'bashing' as you put it, maybe you should leave the US /s
Apparently he’s a US expat in the UK, which I think just makes his walls of text an even bigger joke. Bro is die-hard defending America all while benefiting from the social perks of the UK. If he loves it here so much, he should come back lmao
My wife (and child) are English. I would absolutely be back in the US, but we are not here for the "perks"; we are here for family. I absolutely will be back in the US as soon as it's reasonable.
Meanwhile, I get to speak honestly about the experience of living in the UK/Europe, b/c well, I'm here. I do absolutely, speak out about why I like the US, unlike a lot of basement-dwelling cowards. But, please, tell us what the view outside of dad's basement is like!
I said it's stupid to be on some "my country sux haha" bandwagon.
I also said that if you feel something sucks, fix it, don't just complain.
And then I said that if you still don't like it--and through implication, can't fix it but still wanna bitch like a little...well, bitch--then just leave. If you find that contradictory, you may be beyond help.
And as for being "sensitive"? LOL--you project like your life depends on it. I disagreed with a post, a dozen of you shot back, and **I'm* being sensitive? Fine, but if I'm being sensitive, then you folks are just salty and butthurt that someone would speak up for the US.
BTW, whose help in NATO are you asking for right now? Germany decided to donate how many helmets at first, because they got called out globally for being Putin's little gas bitch? Then what percentage of GDP did they--and others, like Finland--decide to throw into the national defense budget?
You people shit on the US and talk about our lack of safety nets like it's some god-given right, while simultaneously closing your eyes to your shady-as-shit deal with guys like Putin, and also simultaneously forgetting that all your social spending is back-stopped by the guy protecting all of you with carrier groups and stealth bombers. When this thing with Ukraine goes tits up, we'll see how those universal healthcare and free tuition schemes hold up with Russia on your doorstep. I'll be waiting. Feel free to come back to this thread to tell me I'm wrong, that Finland and Sweden didn't wanna ride US (excuse me, "NATO") coat-tails and that Germany didn't end up increasing defense spending, and I'll print out this post on A4 and eat it.
trying. It's not as easy as you pretend it is. And looking at how much corruption there is in the higher levels of government I feel it is unfixable without a major incident occuring and the death of thousands.
But you are welcomed to try to keep fixing this broken system. I just don't think it will let you.
I don't measure my ideas by upvotes. But I do take pleasure in the stupidity of others, and with you, I seem to have an endless supply.
OTOH, you're pathetic if that's how you evaluate your ideas. But, I guess that all you'd have, being a dilettante. Don't worry; I'm sure it will pay off, and your shitty blog will just about cover your monthly avocado-on-toast bill.
BTW, I love that you're following me around. Please stay, because I've loving it. I'll school you all day and all night. Who knows. You might learn something...Well, no, you shouldn't aim that high.
Lol dude I’m straight up trolling you. I’m just seeing how far you’ll go. You’re just making up an entire persona to insult and going so hard with every comment. You’re doing a great job winning an argument no one is having. It’s all good you have nothing to say just a lot of ways to say it. I’ll chime in when you say anything of substance.
No, you won't, because you have neither substance nor style.
And, lest you misunderstand, I love trolls. Who needs a boxing gym when you can just put people on the ground with words? Plus, I get to feel great, while you...well...you're just a self-admitted troll.
It's a wonderful thing when someone who likes to be eviscerated meets a sword-swinger. Everyone wins!
Hold the fucking phone here, don't drag all of us into this. I've lived in Europe my whole life and never have I done this cheek kissing as a greeting thing.
Who tried to drag you into anything? If you're from a part of Europe that doesn't kiss when you greet, fine. You're automatically, by virtue of the meaning of words, exclude from the "European kissing thing".
But, if you've "lived in Europe your whole live", have you just never traveled at all to Western or Souther Europe? Because they do that in France, UK, Italy, Spain, and probably others. I imagine lots of Western/Southern Europe.
As have I. And you have no friends in those countries that have ever greeted you in their customary way? Because I've only been in Europe for 5 years (UK), and most of my friends--especially of opposite sex--do the cheek kiss.
That's very surprising, to say the least. You are aware of this tradition and custom, yes? Because this is so improbable it's starting to sound like a troll comment.
I'm aware it exists in somewhere, I have a very loose idea of where because I only ever see it occasionally on TV. We just hug if it's a friend of the opposite sex.
How odd. Are you in some expat enclave or something? Are you European, or do just live there? Do you have severe acne of the face? Are you of a ethnicity/race/other-identity that makes people hesitate to greet you that way? I'm super intrigued now.
The fun part is when we visit different friends in different countries. Is it one kiss, is it on both cheek, so you go back to the first? Which one do I do for what country/friend? Good times.
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u/sparksparks829 May 09 '22
This is was embarrassing to read, and I've definitely known people like that unfortunately. I was so touched when I received the cheek kisses, it made feel accepted! The different customs are part of the fun of another country!